Each month in the leadup to the World Cup, Just Women’s Sports will make the case for one player as most essential to the success of the U.S. women’s national team in 2023. Next up: Lynn Williams.

The absence of Lynn Williams’ skillset from the USWNT roster in 2022 made her importance to the team that much clearer.

The defensive prowess she brings to the forward line should make her a lock for the World Cup. Indeed, coach Vlatko Andonovski has made clear his appreciation for the Williams since her return from the hamstring tear that sidelined her for most of last year.

“One of the things that Lynn is very special at, is she’s probably one of the best defenders from the attacking players. There is no hesitation when she goes into press, (she) drives the press, drives the intensity of the team, sets up a good rhythm,” USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski said during the SheBelieves Cup in February.

In addition to Williams’ defensive abilities, she’s also shown off her scoring touch, notching her first goal of 2023 just seven minutes into her first game back with the team in January.

Seven minutes into her first appearance following a long-term hamstring injury, Lynn Williams gets on the scoresheet 😤 pic.twitter.com/z12EZVh3eR

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 18, 2023

While the USWNT had more problems than just Williams’ absence in late 2022, the team nonetheless has looked much better with her back in the lineup.

The 29-year-old forward is still working her way back to full health, but that means she could be even more lethal as the team sets its eyes on another World Cup title.

“I love being back in this environment. It’s a tough environment to be in, as I’m sure everybody can imagine. I’m feeling more and more like myself every single day. I still think I have a bit more to feel like myself again,” she told The Athletic in February. “It’s always an honor to be here.”

After she was snubbed from the 2019 World Cup team, she was named to the Tokyo Olympic team and proved her worth in that tournament. During the team’s Olympic quarterfinal against the Netherlands, she notched a goal and an assist to help them go up 2-1 in a span of three minutes.

What makes her performance in Tokyo even more impressive is that Williams wasn’t one of the 18 players initially named to the roster. Rather, she was added later when the Olympics expanded their rosters to 22 players.

On her first start, @lynnraenie adds another one for @TeamUSA! 2️⃣ - 1️⃣@USWNT x #TokyoOlympics

📺 NBCSN
💻 https://t.co/aazsVXbtR0
📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/1MSB2Soo0D

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2021

She has continued to prove her worth and her value to Andonovski’s squad since then. So this year, there should be no question about her place on the World Cup roster.

On top of her scoring abilities, she also can set up her teammates — for example, she once helped Christen Press send one home sans a boot. She’s up to 15 goals and 11 assists for the USWNT in her career, including 10 assists in 2020 and 2021.

Who says you need two boots on to provide an assist ⁉️

Not Lynn Williams 🇺🇸 #CWOQ @lynnraenie @USWNT @Concacafpic.twitter.com/RwfpOXC4FH

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) January 29, 2020

On the club side, she is joining forces with Midge Purce in New York after a trade to Gotham FC, which means the two forwards could link up even better when playing for the USWNT.

Even still, Williams has proven how invaluable she is for the USWNT no matter who else is with her on the pitch. Her abilities to adapt will work well for the USWNT as they play against teams they haven’t played before in the World Cup, and teams that they have (looking at you, Netherlands).

That, and she’s also a built-in babysitting auntie for the team children, with Crystal Dunn, AD Franch and Alex Morgan all traveling with their kids.

“I just think it comes naturally,” Williams said, “and obviously Crystal is a good friend of mine and her baby is adorable. So it’s pretty easy to just take him and hold him all the time.”

Best aunts on the planet 💃 pic.twitter.com/DDo3EDJkyr

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 17, 2023

Who is the most essential USWNT player?

• The case for… Mallory Swanson
• The case for… Rose Lavelle
• The case for… Sophia Smith
• The case for… Catarina Macario
• The case for… Alex Morgan
• The case for… Becky Sauerbrunn
• The case for… Julie Ertz
• The case for… Naomi Girma
• The case for… Crystal Dunn

More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.

Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.

"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."

North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.

The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.

Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.

"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

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The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

The WTGL is stocking up on golf stars, as TMRW Sports' newly announced offseason league begins to build its debut roster in partnership with the LPGA.

World No. 1 golfer Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) signed on to participate in WTGL's inaugural season this week, alongside No. 5 Charley Hull (England), No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 25 Brooke Henderson (Canada), and No. 79 Lexi Thompson (USA).

"WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world's best," said TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley in Monday's press release.

Set to launch next winter, the WTGL looks to build off the popular, second-year men's Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL), with the competition integrating both a physical and virtual golf environment inside Palm Beach Gardens at Florida's SoFi Center.

"These players will thrive in WTGL's competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers," said McCarley, noting that TGL golfers remain mic'd up throughout the team event.

The WTGL is also earning stamps of approval from several women's sports greats, as the Alex Morgan co-founded Trybe Ventures — an investment group that includes Morgan's fellow former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach — became the new league's lead capital partner last week.

The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.

Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.

Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).

Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.

Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.

Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.

How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action

Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.